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 Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 11:07 am
Sweet Pea was right. Sitting here would only attract the birds back. Crows were smart, he knew; they'd seen their faces, if they wanted to they could tell all of their crow friends about what they looked like, how they smelled, where they were. Sorrel held their kitten's hand gently but with a protective firmness. Altair's slight sarcasm earned the light bringer a pointed stare. A new voice stumbled onto the scene and his ears twitched. The wolf sprite placed himself gently between Tomiko and the approaching presence -- which now, in fact, seemed to be three.
Sorrel lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing them. "I feel like I know you." Sorrel cringed and suppressed his gag reflex. The light child's enamored stare to the other cloaked in starlight told him enough.
"Yes, hello," he offered after Tomiko, inclining his head to the new three; a bird of flame, an illusory fox, and this one of silk and stars, "Is it only you three?"
Perhaps they were the ones Hajna caught scent of before -- but now, where was the small aurora? If he had not found and wrangled these three into their midst then perhaps he had managed to locate a different group. The darker, more cynical possibility was one Sorrel decided not to entertain. Instead, he turned to Fjorgyn and offered her a sly smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to direct us away from any attacking crows, this time." Support. No sarcasm, not like Altair offered her even if he did laugh it off. New folks with them or not, they needed to get a move on, and so he turned back to this new group and took a few gentle steps forward, wolfish paws crunching some leaves underneath. "I don't advise staying put. If we travel together it'll be safer but we need to go."
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Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 7:08 pm
At the sound of footsteps and snapping twigs, Fjorgyn cowered -- ineffectively, considering her height. Was there some other wild beast out there, coming to finish what the crows could not? But no, it was just three more little sprites, just as lost and scared as they were. Fjorgyn breathed a sigh of relief and gave them a warm smile of welcome. Quickly she scanned their faces, hiding her disappointment that Erm was not among them. It would have been nice to see a familiar face amidst so much unfamiliarity.
Her smile faded slightly, however, at Altair's words. Sorrel's defense of her was comforting, but the truth was that the starchild had almost died because of her. "You're right," she whispered to Altair, and she bowed her head. "So, which way?" She did not care particularly which way they took, so long as they started moving someway -- pick one direction and stick to it, and they should make it out of the woods eventually.
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:22 am
Edel nodded. “I am.” Altair walked up to her, causing a startled sprite to lean away and hastily step backwards. While the orb’s light was certainly welcoming, his suddenly-close presence was not. She smiled awkwardly with her arms held up. “Not t-too close please.” An inner sigh of relief as he leaned back. Her muscles relaxed. “I can’t speak for the others, but I would be grateful if I could join your company,” she answered. Lips pursed at his later words. “That…” Her voice came out softer as she turned her head away nervously. “…I see.”
With nothing else to say, she leaned to the side to observe the other sprites in the larger group. “Hello,” she offered back. “I’m Edelweiss, but Edel is just fine, and yes it’s just us three.” She bit her bottom lip. “We could always go straight, unless that’s no good…?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:50 pm
Sorrel's words to Fjorgyn were bland and Altair rolled his eyes so hard he saw stars. But distraction came again as Edelweiss spoke. Her faint whisper was like tinkling stars. However, Altair knew he was pressing a bit, searching for a connection she likely did not feel. He sighed and smiled instead, a small, safe smile. And maybe that smile was already a little wistful. Altair reached his hand for hers but stopped at the least moment, recalling her shrinking back.
"Eh, straight sounds fine to me. It's the way our companion Hajna went too... We might find him." The little ball of energy was annoying, but nice and so very cute. He paused, tapping his fingers along his staff. Turning to the giantess, he tossed his orb of light up and down. "Do you think... that you might be able to lift one of us closer to the top of a tree? I wonder if we could see anything from up there...I'll volunteer to be tossed up, even." Altair grinned rakishly. He had the light anyway, so it was likely best that he went up in a tree if everyone else agreed.
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Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 4:29 pm
The girl spoke so softly it was difficult to hear her introduce herself, but Tomiko's acute ears caught what she had said. "My name is Tomiko. It's nice to meet you, Edel." She looked up to Sorrel who seemed to be the steady rock keeping her from freaking out. Tomi made a mental note to thank him later for it when they were out of this mess. When it was suggested that they go straight, she thought that was the way that Hajna had went and fully agreed they should try to find their little fox friend.
"If Hajna went straight we should definitely try to find him. But...would going up in the trees really be the smartest idea? What if...what if there are more birds up there and they want your light again?" Tomiko wondered if she should offer to climb the tree but refrained knowing that the climb down would be scary.
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 12:58 pm
He had to hand it to the light bringer at least once; if he was going to become infatuated with someone amid this ragtag group, little miss starlight was definitely a catch. Edelweiss was positively radiant and he, too, took a moment to appreciate her while she spoke. "Lovely," he smiled to Edel and nodded his head. One hand gestured toward himself as his ears gave a slight twitch, "I'm Sorrel." Altair's suggestion towards the trees made Sorrel clench his teeth and his dear kitten seemed to be on the same train of thought. The werewolf sprite squeezed her hand gently and took a few steps forward on his paws.
"She's right," he offered first, sneering skeptically at Altair, "though I imagine that would be clear to one without stars in his eyes."
On the matter of direction, though, they all seemed agreed for the same reasons. Sorrel puffed his chest, giving his tail a slow wag. "The longer we stand the farther Hajna will get. Straight seems like the way to go, so why don't you do us the honor of leading with your beacon of bait?" With an exaggerated flourish, Sorrel leaned over and brought his hand to his chest, bowing elegantly for Altair. He would hang in the back with Tomiko and Fjorgyn, as Sorrel had little doubt the light bringer would want to keep his dose of starlight close by.
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Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:25 pm
Fjorgyn did have to admit that the newest starry addition to the group was... extremely beautiful. Altair's and Sorrel's admiration was completely understandable. Fjorgyn glanced at her own homely green braids and down at her plain-as-apple-pie boots in a moment of outward self-consciousness. Then she shook it off, letting a gentle smile fall upon her face again.
She kept the smile somewhat plastered on, even as she listened to the dialogue between the wolf child and the star boy -- her fidgety hands the only indication of her anxiety. Conflict under normal circumstances were no good, and these were hardly normal circumstances. If the group split up now, things could turn out disastrous for both sides of the party. Fjorgyn put herself between the two boys, tapping her two hands together to form a 'T' for 'time out'. "M-m-maybe I should try climbing a tree?" They both did have a point -- a higher vantage point might reveal a path unknown to them at the ground level, but Altair's light was practically a beacon for any and all with malicious intentions to see.
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 8:44 am
Every so often, her starry eyes nervously darted toward Altair. While he had yet to venture too close to her personal bubble again, the fear refused to leave, especially when she caught his small smile and the occasional way he looked at her. It made Edel’s pale cheeks flush with embarrassment. She couldn’t deny there was something special about him, but fear had a way of overriding such notions. She kept her shoulders slightly hunched and her arms close to her chest. “That sounds a little dangerous…” she replied, frowning as she imagined the sprite flying through the air.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she murmured with a shy smile. She bowed her head to the others, taking in each of their unique appearances. “U-Um. If Tomiko or…” Her voice trailed off and she bit her lower lip, not knowing the taller girl’s name. “…want to climb the tree they should, o-otherwise going straight sounds…good.”
[[ Might not be able to post tomorrow so posting now uvu;; ]]
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:14 pm
 LA SANGThey’re soft.
The children.
We caress them.
We care for them.
We look after them.
The children, they’re ours.
It was certainly unfortunate that, in the middle of their adorable reunion, the Sprites forgot about what it was that caressed their feet so carefully. Blood danced in between their toes, like a mother’s loving hand, holding the sprites softly, yet steadily.
The dream wolf's ears twitched as the giantess intervened. Her voice and movements were surprisingly soft and Sorrel leaned back, entered a more casual stance, and relented. They could have a time out. Sorrel certainly understood Altair's rationale but it would be heinously stupid for him to bring the light up to a higher vantage. Into the tree tops. Where crows lived. He blinked curiously to Fjorgyn, mouth dropping open softly -- then he smiled and nodded. She already had the leverage of height on her side, she wouldn't even need to climb far to get a good look around.
The small group began walking again: one of the starchilds was the head of the group, whereas the giant, as always, guarded the little ones from behind. On the sides, the werewolf pup and the phoenix marked the limits of the group, and in the middle a female starchild, a white cat, and a quirky fox followed. It was quite a sight, as they all moved painfully slowly. Were they moving like that because of the fear that controlled their bodies? Were they just being cautious? Only they knew.
"You're perfect, Sweet Pea," he complimented with bright eyes and a soft smile. The werewolf still held Tomiko's hand softly and, gently, he gave their arms a small sway. While the others began casting their opinions toward Fjorgyn's suggestion, Sorrel cast his eyes skyward. He perked his ears and listened for all of the subtle sounds beneath the other sprite's voices; the very slight trickle of liquid ever present around them was the one thing he could discern the most from the forest's otherwise dull and eerie silence. He observed and scrutinized, doggish eyes cutting through the immediate darkness as his paws stepped lightly and slowly against the damp earth. He turned loosely in place, just getting his bearings, and didn't mind at all when his feet sloshed into a deep muddy red.
Not far from them, the flow of blood became ticker and heavier. No trees perturbed the land in that particular section, and, to the ones who looked carefully, that terrain could be mistaken for a river or a pond. If they had looked closely, the children, perhaps they would have noticed the dense claret, and, perhaps, they would have also noticed the anthropoid figures that had now begun to emerge from the river, creeping slowly towards the wolf’s paws.
A startled sigh, a heavy fall, a dry splash. Silence.
Time passed by heavily but unhurriedly. The startled sprites could not digest what had happened until, casually, a quiet corpse emerged from the mud, his back covered in a mushy substance. The corpse did not emerge alone, however: the anthropoid figures let go of the moveless wolf and turned towards those still living, writhing their various amounts of fingers at them. They better moved fast.
Sorrel is out of the game.
Cross the river, but think carefully: you need to get the team to the other side as soon as possible!
There are various ways of solving this puzzle, try to find one in which the entire team gets to the other side unharmed. If your answer is not logical enough, two more sprites will die.
Here are some hints: Think of all the things you have at hand, think of all the things you can do with a corpse and remember that Fjorgyn is too big, yet not too heavy.
Use the image below!
Feel free to use images and graphics to answer.
Thanks to Snoof for writing a post <3
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:15 pm
The group had not been as cautious as they ought to have been, and the price had been paid for it: Sorrel's life. It happened quickly, although time seemed to have been paused. Tomiko's eyes were wide as she heard Sorrel's startled gasp as he seemed to plunge into the murky, thick, bloody river. Tomiko gripped his hand with both of hers, contemplating if she should grow her claws to grip into him better as she tried to pull him up, though she decided against it since she didn't want to hurt him. She would find out later that it wouldn't have mattered what she had done. Silence filled the air and Tomiko's grunts of struggle could just barely be heard. It seemed like hours, though it wasn't, and later, none would be able to say just how long Tomiko struggled to pull her friend up. With the help of the rest of the sprites, they continued to try to save Sorrel and it would seem random when the river finally gave way to let them have Sorrel back. But it gave them something else with him, anthropoid hands gripped onto their wolf friend, and only when he broke surface did they release him. The hands did not descend back into the river. Instead, the stayed above, waggling their fingers at the living, almost in a mocking manner.
Tomiko cried out, "No Sorrel no no no." Tears were falling down her cheeks as she still gripped tightly to the hand that no longer held it's grip on hers. With her free hand, she reached down to turn Sorrel over but found that there was a wet mushy substance on his back. He said as he took off his coat to lay it over their fallen friend. Figuring that the his front would be just as bad, she decided to keep the image of his soft smile in her mind. Slowly, Tomiko rose, but still held onto Sorrel's hand. "What do we do?" She asked the group through her sniffles in a quiet voice. A voice, Edel's, from behind Tomiko said, "W-we shouldn't stay here. We should go." But in Altair's mind, a plan was forming. Their friend had been lost because they chose this way, they should continue on, for him. Altair stepped forward to wipe away the tears that still flowed from the Neko's face. His next order of business was to disentangle Tomiko's hand from Sorrels, which took a little work, but he was successful in the end. "Shhh, everyone. It'll be okay, Kitten, I have a plan." He leaned over to whisper his plan into her ear before taking off his sash and handing it to her, along with his staff. Once he had given those two things to Tomiko, he took off his coat to lay it over their friend."Will you do this for us, Kitten?" Once Tomiko gave her sullen nod, Altair turned to Edel, "We'll need your sash too, please, Edel." He said politely as Edel just as politely handed over her sash, avoiding all skin contact of course.
Altair tied the two sashes together, making sure the knot was firm and would not give before handing one end to Tomiko. She nimbly climbed the nearest tree and tied one end to the lowest hanging branch. "Edel, you're going to cross with me first." She said softly, untying her bandanna and offering it to the other sprite who had given up her sash. Edel took it gratefully as they both carefully climbed onto the raft, as Tomiko thought of it in her mind. If she were to think of it as Sorrel she would surely burst out into tears again, and she couldn't do that. Edel and Tomiko would make their way across on Sorrel using Altair's staff for steering. Once they were over there, they would tie off the other end of the rope. Tomiko would crawl back across, bringing the "raft" with her using Altair's staff. Once the body was back, Tomiko would crawl back across, Fjorgyn would use Sorrel's body and the rope as a guide to make her way across. Once Tomiko was off the line, Altair would cross, and Xilles and Akira would follow last in the same manner as Altair. The sprites hoped they could stay out of the reach of the hands, if not...what else could they do?
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Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 2:39 pm
LA SANG - ANSWERThe complexity behind the mechanism built by those wanting to cross deeply disturbed the waters, who were unable to figure out what was happening as a corpse used as a raft broke through them. Unable to understand, frustration echoed across the river's soul.
However, there was one thing that the river could understand, and that was the bonds living beings made with one another. Wanting to show off this knowledge, not wanting to seem idiotic, the river made its decision.
Hands reached out before the sprites managed to move away from the shore, swiftly entangling themselves around the girl that had been holding Sorrel's hand.
He was your friend, right?
You must miss him.
We'll let you join him.
Isn't that nice? You'll be together now
f o r e v e r
Tomiko is out of the game.
Seems like the game didn't like your answer! The mastermind must've been expecting something much simpler, such as;
- The number of times the raft would have to be used (13)
- Turning around and looking for another path
However, you did manage to get across unharmed, therefore the life of a sprite has been spared.
The team may continue!
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 12:24 pm
A soft intake of breath as she noticed one of the sprites had disappeared with a splash. Arms held close to her chest, Edel spun around in place as she tried to identify what had occurred. “W-what just…?” The question died on her lips as a body emerged from the mud, a flurry of hands revealing Sorrel. Another gasp as she stepped back. Her eyes wildly shot toward Tomiko as she murmured, “W-We shouldn’t stay here. We should go.” But the other starc child had plans. The boy with white hair leaned into Tomiko’s ear to whisper ideas while Edel bit her bottom lip and waited uneasily.
As Altair called her name, she nodded once and offered her sash to him. “L-Let’s just hurry,” she murmured, her head lowered. She nodded again, this time to Tomiko, and somehow one by one they managed to cross the river. Edel cautiously reached for her sash again, squeaking when the hands pulled Tomiko in as the voices murmured. At the sight, she quickly scrambled away from the shore. “We n-need to go,” she weepily demanded in a quiet voice. “L-Let’s go.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 5:02 pm
In a mere matter of minutes, the group had lost not one sprite but two. As the reaching hands wrapped around Tomiko, Altair lunged forward, his own hand outstretched. "Kitten!" The fear in her multicolored eyes was the last thing he saw as the water bubbled up around her, dark and suffocating. "Kitten! Tomiko!" He cried, but his voice no longer reached the feline ears it was meant for. Altair recoiled from the water, his face blanching.
His face was white and bloodless as he stood, his lips pressed into a line. This nightmare.... Blood squished under his feet. As he passed Fjorgyn, he pressed a hand briefly into hers, as much for him as for her. He also reached out to pat Edelweiss on the shoulder, but stopped. Right, no touching. With a strained smile, he dropped his hand. "Right. Sorry. We should go. This has to end somewhere. It will be alright." And, without another word, without glancing back, he walked on, pausing only briefly when he heard the faint bubble that heralded another body surfacing in that cursed river. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath, and snapped his fingers, conjuring another light for the substantially smaller group.
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Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 6:49 pm
Fjorgyn turned away from the merciless river and closed her eyes. She did not want to look at the lifeless corpses of what had once been Tomiko and Sorrel. She couldn't have known them for more than a few hours, but she already thought of them as friends... and now they were lost. Never again would Tomiko smile charmingly at her or Sorrel offer a comforting hand...
Fjorgyn nearly jumped as she felt somebody else touch her hand, as if it was Sorrel's ghost. But it was just Altair, pressing briefly against her palm and then away again. She offered him a smile to know that the message was received and appreciated. The smile she gave Edel was less sure but no less warm. The giantess was still not entirely sure what to make of the skittish star girl who absolutely refused to let anyone touch her.
"Let's go," she agreed in a whisper. "We must stay together."
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